Roadmap Towards Clean Coal Technology for Sustainable Power Sector in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa has sufficient coal resources to meet future demand. However, using this local energy resource presents several environmental compliance concerns. The export market's need for high-quality coal results in a decline in coal quality, which results in increased environmental regulation non-compliance. In this study, five samples of coal covering a wide range of qualities obtained from mine stockpiles supplying power plants were collected, and standardized processes were used to prepare them for various analyses. Based on the results of coal characterization and resultant emissions, a wide range of technology options should be made available for different types of coal, and all these technologies are presented in the current study. Therefore, South Africa will likely have to take a hybrid approach to reduce emissions and address electricity supply and demand issues. South Africa's ageing electricity generation infrastructure, sluggish economic development, and water shortages support this. In order to find solutions that will satisfy the demands of coal users for dependable, tried-and-true technology while also meeting environmental criteria, various limitations were used to sort through the available technologies. The coal roadmap proposes three possible routes, ranging from business-as-usual physical methods to chemical methods and biological methods. Such processing methods could drastically reduce power sector SO2 emissions if they are commercially feasible. This roadmap outlines the challenges that the power sector must overcome and provides an overview of potential treatment initiatives for the power sector that South Africa may implement over the coming years.